Carrier for a bathroom wipe dispenser

ABSTRACT

A carrier for a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes of the kind that are saturated with a cleaning or antiseptic solution, a moisturizer, and the like, and having particular application for wiping clean the anal region of a user&#39;s body following use of dry toilet paper. The carrier is adapted to be detachably connected to a conventional holder for a roll of toilet paper that is typically mounted against a wall in a bathroom and located near a toilet. At the top of the carrier is an open shell that is sized and shaped to fit snugly within a correspondingly shaped receptacle of the toilet paper roll holder. Located opposite the shell of the carrier is a tail to which is removably attached the wipe dispenser. The carrier is advantageously adapted to be quickly and easily connected to and disconnected from an existing toilet paper roll holder without having to make any changes to the holder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a carrier for a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes of the kind that are saturated with a cleaning or antiseptic solution, a moisturizer, and the like, and having particular application for wiping clean the anal region of a user's body after toilet paper has first been used. The carrier is adapted to be detachably connected to a conventional wall-mounted toilet paper roll holder that is located adjacent a toilet without having to make any changes to the holder.

2. Background Art

It is not uncommon for individuals to feel uncomfortable following their use of a toilet. That is to say, one cannot always fully clean his anal region by using the usual dry toilet paper. Consequently, in some case, the individual's anal region may remain covered with traces of fecal matter. In other case, the anal region may become chafed or irritated. Because there is typically no readily-available and convenient-to-use means to fully clean or treat the anal region following defecation, the individual may experience itching and rash-like symptoms. What is more, the individual's undergarments can become undesirably soiled.

Therefore, what would be desirable is a wet supplement to dry toilet paper which is located in a bathroom near a toilet so as to be easily accessible to a user on an as-needed basis to wipe clean his anal region following use of the dry toilet paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, and in general terms, a carrier is disclosed to which is attached a dispenser of pre-moistened (i.e., wet) wipes that are saturated with a cleaning or antiseptic solution, a moisturizer, and the like. Such pre-moistened wipes have particular application for cleaning the anal region of the user's body following the use of dry toilet paper. The carrier for the dispenser of the pre-moistened wipes is detachably connected to a conventional wall-mounted toilet paper roll holder of the kind that is commonly found in a bathroom and located adjacent a toilet. The carrier of this invention is advantageously adapted to be attached to the toilet paper roll holder without having to make any changes thereto.

The carrier includes an open shell at the top that is sized to fit snugly within the existing toilet paper roll receptacle of the toilet paper roll holder. A pair of arms project from the shell of the carrier to lay against corresponding arms of the holder. A hole formed through each of the arms of the carrier lies over and in axial alignment with recesses formed in respective ones of the arms of the holder. The usual spring-loaded spindle is first surrounded by the roll of toilet paper. Opposite ends of the spindle are then removably located in the recesses of the arms of the holder by way of the holes formed in the arms of the carrier, whereby the roll of toilet paper is suspended within the shell of the carrier. Accordingly, the carrier is held in place inside and against the holder without obstructing access to the roll of toilet paper.

A flat and rigid tongue or tail is coextensively connected to and depends downwardly from the open shell of the carrier for the dispenser of pre-moistened wipes so as to lie below the roll of toilet paper. A dispenser including a supply of pre-moistened wipes is attached to the tail of the carrier so that the wipes will be readily available to the user on an as-needed basis. By way of a first example, the dispenser is removably attached to the tail of the carrier by means of an adhesive bond created therebetween. By way of a second example, the dispenser is removably attached to the tail by means of complementary layers of hook and loop fastener material that are mated together. By way of a third example, at least one tab located on the dispenser is removably received within an opposing slot formed through the tail. In a fourth example, the dispenser is removably received by a dispenser support that projects outwardly from the tail. Once the supply of pre-moistened wipes is exhausted, the dispenser may be separated from the tail and replaced with a new dispenser having a fresh supply of wipes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a carrier according to a preferred embodiment of this invention to which is attached a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes and where the carrier is detachably connected to a conventional toilet paper roll holder;

FIG. 2 shows the carrier and a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes detachably connected to the toilet paper roll holder with the roll of toilet paper removed from the holder;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the carrier, the holder, and the dispenser of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows one example of a means by which a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes is removably attached to the carrier thereof;

FIG. 5 shows a first wipe dispenser support attached to the wipe dispenser carrier of FIGS. 1-3 for receiving a standard dispenser of wet wipes; and

FIG. 6 shows a second wipe dispenser support attached to the wipe dispenser carrier of FIGS. 1-3 for receiving the standard dispenser of wet wipes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The carrier 1 for a bathroom wipe dispenser according to a first preferred embodiment of this invention is disclosed while referring concurrently to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. As will soon be explained, the carrier 1 has a particular size and shape that is adapted to be detachably connected to a conventional wall-mounted holder 7 for a roll of toilet paper of the kind commonly found in a bathroom adjacent a toilet. By virtue of the foregoing, one using toilet paper in a bathroom will also have quick and easy access to a supply of pre-moistened (i.e., wet) towelette-shaped wipes 5 from a dispenser 3 thereof. Such pre-moistened wipes 5 are saturated with a cleaning or antiseptic solution, a moisturizer, and the like, for wiping clean the anal region of the user's body following his use of dry toilet paper. The wipes 5 are pulled from the dispenser 3 one at a time on an as-needed basis. In the example of FIGS. 1-3, the dispenser 3 is a compact, disposable packet or wrapper that encloses a stack of the pre-moistened wipes 5.

Briefly, the standard wall-mounted toilet paper roll holder 7 includes a generally rectangular frame 9 that lies flush against a wall in a bathroom near a toilet (not shown). An arcuate receptacle 10 (best shown in FIG. 3) extends rearwardly from the frame 9 for receipt through the bathroom wall against which the frame 9 is disposed. A pair of spaced, parallel-aligned walls 11 (only one of which being visible) lie at opposite sides of the receptacle. A pair of arms 12 project outwardly from the frame 9 at respective ones of the sidewalls 11 of the toilet paper roll holder 7. The arms 12 extend in spaced, parallel alignment with one another. A recess 14 (only one of which being visible) is formed in each arm 12. The recesses 14 of the arms 12 are arranged in opposing axial alignment with one another to receive therewithin the opposite ends of a removable spring-loaded spindle 16. The spindle 16 is first fed through a roll of toilet paper (designated 18 in FIG. 1) and then moved into engagement with the arms 12 of toilet paper roll holder 7. In the assembled relationship of FIG. 1, the spindle 16 is supported for rotation by and between the pair of outwardly projecting arms 12 so that a roll of toilet paper 18 is suspended within the receptacle 10 of the toilet paper roll holder 7. A pulling force applied to the leading sheet of the toilet paper roll 18 causes the roll and its spindle 16 to rotate relative to the holder 7.

The carrier 1 for a bathroom wipe dispenser of this invention has an open shell 20 (best shown in FIG. 3) located at the top thereof. The shell 20 of carrier 1 includes an arcuate back 22 and a pair of spaced, parallel-aligned sidewalls 24 projecting from the back 22. The shell 20 is particularly sized and shaped so as to be snugly and removably received within the existing receptacle 10 of the toilet paper roll holder 7 (best shown in FIG. 2). A pair of arms 26 (best shown in FIG. 3) project forwardly from respective sidewalls 24 of the shell 20 of carrier 1. A hole 28 is formed through each arm 26.

The carrier 1 also has a flat and preferably rigid tongue or tail 30 located at the bottom thereof opposite the shell 20. In this regard, the tail 30 is coextensively connected to and depends downwardly from the shell 20. A bonding surface 32 covers at least some of the face of the tail 30. By way of a first example, the bonding surface 32 may be an adhesive that is initially covered by a peel-off backing (not shown) that is removed from the tail 30 to expose the adhesive. By way of a second example, the bonding surface 32 may be a layer of hook-and-loop fastener material known commercially as Velcro. As is best shown in FIG. 2, the bonding surface 32 enables a disposable dispenser 3 of pre-moistened wipes 5 to be removably attached to the tail 30 of carrier 1. However, it is within the scope of this invention for the adhesive of bonding surface 32 to be located on the dispenser 3 rather than the tail 30.

In the case where the bonding surface 32 is a layer of adhesive, the wipe dispenser 3 is simply pushed against tail 30 and into mating engagement with the adhesive. In the case where the bonding surface 32 is a layer of Velcro material, the complementary layer of such Velcro material (not shown) is located on the back of the wipe dispenser 3. The wipe dispenser 3 is then pushed against the tail 30 so that the opposing layers of Velcro material are moved into mating engagement with one another. When all of the wipes 5 stored within the dispenser 3 have been used, the empty dispenser is subjected to a pulling force sufficient to break the bond with surface 32 and thereby separate the dispenser 3 from the tail 30 of carrier 1. A new dispenser carrying a fresh supply of pre-moistened wipes may then be removably attached to the tail 30 in the same manner as just described.

Prior to mounting the roll of toilet paper 18 on the spindle 16 of the toilet paper roll holder 7, the carrier 1 for a bathroom wipe dispenser 5 is detachably connected to the holder 7 by moving the shell 20 of carrier 1 past the frame 9 of holder 7. More particularly, the arcuate back 22 of shell 20 is pushed inwardly of the correspondingly shaped and dimensioned arcuate receptacle 10 of holder 7. Thus, the sidewalls 24 of shell 20 will lie over and against the sidewalls 11 of holder 7. Moreover, and as is best shown in FIG. 2, the arms 26 of carrier 1 will lie over and against the arms 12 of holder 7, such that the holes 28 formed through the arms 26 will lie above and be axially aligned with the recesses 14 that are formed in the arms 12. With the shell 20 of carrier 1 now positioned inside the receptacle 10 of toilet paper roll holder 7, a roll of toilet paper 18 (of FIG. 1) can be received inwardly of shell 20.

That is, the spring-loaded spindle 16 is first pushed through the center of the toilet paper roll 18. Opposite ends of the spindle 16 are then moved into the recesses 14 in the arms 12 of the toilet paper roll holder 7 by way of respective holes 28 through the arms 26 of the shell 20 of the carrier 1 for the dispenser 3 of bathroom wipes 5. Accordingly, and as is best shown in FIG. 1, the toilet paper roll 18 is suspended, as usual, by the spindle 16 of holder 7 with the shell 20 of carrier 1 held in place inwardly of and surrounded by the receptacle 10 of the holder. At the same time, the wipe dispenser 3 that is attached to the tail 30 of carrier 1 is conveniently located below and out of the way of the toilet paper roll 18 and the holder 7 thereof so that both a supply of dry toilet paper and individual pre-moistened wipes 5 are readily accessible.

New or replacement rolls of toilet paper may be placed around the spindle 16 of the toilet paper roll 7 without having to disturb the carrier 1 of the bathroom wipe dispenser 3. However, should it be desirable to detach carrier 1 from holder 7, the spindle 16 is first disconnected from the arms 12 of holder 7. The carrier 1 may then be quickly and easily detached from the holder 7 by simply applying a pulling force to withdraw the shell 20 of carrier 1 from the receptacle 10 (of FIG. 3) of holder 7.

Turning now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown an alternate preferred embodiment for a carrier 40 for a bathroom wipe dispenser. The carrier 40 of FIG. 4 is identical to the carrier 1 of FIGS. 1-3, except that the bonding surface (designated 32 in FIG. 3) applied to the tail 30 of carrier 1 is eliminated. To this end, identical reference numerals have been used in FIGS. 1-4 to indicate identical features.

Rather than a bonding surface by which to attach a dispenser of pre-moistened bathroom wipes to the carrier, the flat tail 42 of the dispenser carrier 40 of FIG. 4 is provided with one or more slots 44 formed therethrough. The wipe dispenser 46 in this case is provided with a backing 48 having one or more short tabs 50 projecting therefrom. The tabs 50 may be straight (as shown) or bent (not shown) to terminate in hook ends. The tabs 50 from dispenser 46 are sized to be removably received in respective ones of the slots 44 of tail 42. With the tabs 50 located in slots 44, the wipe dispenser 46 is once again quickly and easily mated to the carrier 40 which in turn is detachably connected to the conventional wall-mounted toilet paper roll holder 7. When it is necessary to replace the wipe dispenser 46 with a new dispenser having a fresh supply of wipes, the original dispenser 46 is simply lifted off the tail 42 of carrier 40 by removing tabs 50 from slots 44. Alternatively, the tabs 50 can project from the tail 42, and the slots 44 can be formed in the backing 48 of wipe dispenser 46.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the wipe dispensers 3 and 46 being removably attached to the tails 30 and 42 of the wipe dispenser carriers 1 and 40. However, it is to be understood that the dispensers 3 and 46 may also be fixedly attached to tails 30 and 42. In this case, once the supply of wipes is exhausted, the combination carrier and dispenser 1, 3 or 40, 46 is separated from the toilet paper roll holder 7 and discarded. Another carrier having a new dispenser with a fresh supply of pre-moistened wipes is then detachably connected to the holder 7 in the manner previously disclosed.

It may be more convenient to be able to locate a standard bathroom wipe dispenser 54 at the tail 30 of the dispenser carrier 1 of FIGS. 1-3 without having to modify the dispenser to include an adhesive, a Velcro material, outwardly projecting tabs, etc. Reference in this regard is now made to FIG. 5 of the drawings where the tail 30-1 of carrier 1 is shown having an integral (e.g., molded) support 56 to removably receive and hold the dispenser 54. The dispenser support 56 is a frame having a rigid back (i.e., the tail 30-1), an open top for receipt of the dispenser 54 therepast, and an upturned bottom shelf 58 upon which the dispenser 54 will be seated. Projecting outwardly from the opposite sides of tail 30-1 between the open top and bottom shelf 58 of dispenser support 56 are a pair of inwardly turned channel members 60 that cooperate with the shelf 58 to form an open window 62 at the front of the dispenser support 56 through which individual wet wipes 5 are removed from the dispenser 54. Channel members 60 establish guides for an incoming wipe dispenser 54 that is pushed downwardly towards the bottom shelf 58 of the support 56 via the open top thereof. At the same time, the upturned shelf 58 and the channel members 60 serve as stops to prevent the wipe dispenser 54 from being inadvertently pulled out of the dispenser support 56 through the open window 62 in response to an outward pulling force applied to the wipes 5.

The wipe dispenser support 56 of FIG. 5 is particularly useful when wipes 5 are pulled horizontally outward from the wipe dispenser 54 and away from the rigid tail 30-1 to be removed through the open window 62 at the front of the wipe dispenser support 56. An empty wipe dispenser is simply lifted off the bottom shelf 58 and withdrawn upwardly through the open top of dispenser support 56 to be replaced by a new dispenser having a fresh supply of wet wipes.

However, it may be desirable to be able to exert a vertically upward pulling force to remove the wet wipes 5 from the wipe dispenser 54 rather than the horizontal outward pulling force applied in FIG. 5. In FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown another support 70 attached to the tail 30-2 of dispenser carrier 1 of FIGS. 1-3 to removably receive the standard dispenser 54 of wet wipes. The wipe dispenser support 70 includes an integral shelf 74 which projects from the bottom of the tail 30-2 of carrier 1 and then turns up and bends back on itself to form a lip 76. A short positioning tab 78 also projects from the tail 30-2 in spaced parallel alignment above the bottom shelf 74. In this case, the wipe dispenser 54 is pushed into removable receipt of the dispenser support 70 via one of the open sides thereof so that the dispenser 54 is seated upon the bottom shelf 74. The dispenser support 70 is sized to bend around the wipe dispenser 54 such that the dispenser lies below the lip 76 and the positioning tab 78. The lip 76 and positioning tab 78 function as stops to prevent the dispenser 54 from being inadvertently pulled off the bottom shelf 74 and out of the dispenser support 70 in response to an upward pulling force applied to the individual wipes 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lip 76 and tab 78 are sized and positioned across the top of the wipe dispenser 54 so as not to impede the removal of wipes 5 out of the dispenser 54 and away from the rigid tail 30-2 in response to an upward pulling force. An empty wipe dispenser is simply pulled off the bottom shelf 74 and withdrawn laterally from an open side of the dispenser support 70 to be replaced by a new dispenser having a fresh supply of wet wipes.

The carriers 1 and 40 for a bathroom wipe dispenser herein disclosed are detachably connected to a toilet paper roll holder 7 without having to make any changes to the holder. By virtue of the foregoing, the carriers 1 and 40 can be employed and removed without effecting the appearance or the usual operation of the holder 7. 

1. A combination, comprising: a toilet paper roll holder to be mounted against a wall and including a receptacle for receipt of a roll of toilet paper, a spindle from which the roll of toilet paper is suspended, and a pair of arms between which the spindle is connected; a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes; and a carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes, said carrier detachably connected to said toilet paper roll holder and having an open shell at one end thereof that is sized and shaped to be received within the receptacle of said toilet paper roll holder and a tail at the opposite end, said dispenser being attached to said carrier at said tail thereof.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1, further comprising an adhesive located on one of the tail of said carrier for the dispenser of pre-moistened wipes or said dispenser, said dispenser being attached to the tail of said carrier by means of said adhesive.
 3. The combination recited in claim 1, further comprising a first hook-and-loop material located on the tail of said carrier for said dispenser of said pre-moistened wipes and a complementary hook-and-loop fastener material located on said dispenser, said first and complementary fastener materials being moved into mating engagement with one another by which said dispenser is attached to said carrier.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one slot formed through the tail of said carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes and at least one tab projecting from said dispenser, said tab being received by said slot by which said dispenser is attached to said carrier.
 5. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the open shell of said carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes has a back, a pair of sidewalls projecting from said back, and a pair of arms projecting from said sidewalls, the back of said shell lying within the receptacle of said toilet paper roll holder and the pair of arms of said shell lying against respective ones of the pair of arms of said holder.
 6. The combination recited in claim 5, wherein each of the pair of arms of said toilet paper roll holder has a recess formed therein and each of the pair of arms of the shell of said carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes has a hole formed therethrough, the holes through the arms of said shell being axially aligned with the recesses in the arms of said holder for the removable receipt therethrough of opposite ends of said spindle, whereby said carrier is detachably connected to said holder.
 7. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes is removably attached to the tail of said carrier for said dispenser.
 8. A combination, comprising: a toilet paper roll holder to be mounted against a wall and including a receptacle for receipt of a roll of toilet paper, a spindle from which the roll of toilet paper is suspended, and a pair of arms projecting from said receptacle; a dispenser of pre-moistened wipes; and a carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes, said carrier detachably connected to said toilet paper roll holder and having an open shell received within the receptacle of said toilet paper roll holder, a pair of arms projecting from said shell and lying against respective ones of the pair of arms of said toilet paper roll holder, and a tail, said dispenser attached to said carrier at said tail thereof, and said spindle connected between the pair of arms of said toilet paper roll holder by way of holes formed through the pair of arms of said carrier.
 9. The combination recited in claim 8, wherein the tail of said carrier for said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes has a dispenser support in which to removably receive said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes by which said dispenser is attached to said carrier at said tail.
 10. The combination recited in claim 9, wherein said dispenser support includes a shelf projecting outwardly relative to the tail of said carrier on which said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes is seated.
 11. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein said dispenser support has an open top lying opposite said shelf and a pair of side walls to guide said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes through said open top and into seating engagement on said shelf.
 12. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein the outwardly projecting shelf of said dispenser support turns back upon itself towards said tail to establish a lip above said shelf by which to releasably retain said dispenser of pre-moistened wipes upon said shelf. 